Tell Me Again
by NaLulover31
Summary: After defeating Tartaros, Lucy is doing her best to move on with her unrequited love of a certain dragon slayer. But nothing ever goes as planned when it comes to Fairy Tail. Mostly Nalu with bits of Gajevy and Gruvia and hints of Miraxus, Bixanna, and Elfgreen. Rated M for blood, violence, and sexual content. Feedback is much appreciated.
1. Chapter One

**So this is my first time actually publishing one of my stories. I'm still writing this one but I will be updating periodically. The story starts just before the one year gap. The one year gap has been pushed back a little for story purposes. I hope you enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail! **

Lucy walked into the guild. Everything was finally back to normal. Well mostly. Elfman and Evergreen flirted in the corner, trying to be discreet. Mira was cheerfully serving guild members loads of booze while Cana sat at the bar chugging her keg. Gajeel hovered over Levy as she 'pretended' to ignore him, and Natsu and Gray were fighting like usual. Only as soon as Gray saw Lucy he stopped and ran to her. Shortly after beating Tartaros, Gray had come clean about his crush on Lucy and asked her on a date. At first Lucy was shocked but as she pondered his confession she couldn't deny the mutual attraction. The guild had taken their relationship pretty good, all except for Juvia. Lucy had originally been terrified of the rain woman's reaction and tried not to let the information get to her, but it was inevitable. When she learned that the two mages were now dating she had melted into a puddle and vanished. No one saw her for almost two weeks. When she finally did turn up at the guild again, she didn't even look in Gray's direction. It worried Lucy but learned that she had opened up to Gajeel from Levy and the water mage didn't hold any hard feelings toward the celestial spirit mage. Lucy let out a relieved breath at the news but still felt for the woman. She knew how unrequited love felt. That's why she had said yes to Gray in the first place. Hoping to turn her affections to someone who would appreciate them. Out of everyone at the guild though, Natsu had reacted the strangest. Anytime Lucy came around he'd freeze up and find an excuse to leave. He started making it a point to avoid Gray all together but sometimes it couldn't be helped. He had stopped breaking into her apartment as well. This was a welcomed change but it was still strange. When cornered and asked why, he said he didn't think Lucy's boyfriend would appreciate another man being over all the time and made it clear he wouldn't be answering any more questions. He seemed almost mad at times, but when someone noticed he'd shrug it off.

When Gray reached Lucy he greeted her with a peck on the lips. Gray had been Lucy's first real kiss. Her first for many things actually. They had fooled around a little bit but nothing too far. Lucy wasn't ready for that and probably wouldn't be for a while. Still, she enjoyed their make out sessions. She blushed at where her mind was going. She walked to her usual place at the bar and ordered a strawberry milkshake.

"Did you find any jobs we could take?" She asked Gray as he sat down next to her.

"No, they're all jobs that pay shit," he huffed," besides, you're good on money for a while," it was true. They had just finished a huge job with their whole team and it gave Lucy enough money to pay her rent for the next 2 months, with enough for food and even enough to go shopping for a new wardrobe if she wanted. It had been exhausting and they had gotten the full reward for once. Natsu hadn't gone over board and had been weird the whole trip. She caught herself thinking about him again.she absently roamed her eyes over the guild hall for the pinkette and found him glaring in her direction. As soon as their eyes met his scowl worsened and he huffed. Exiting the guild loudly and slamming the door. Lucy jumped.

"What the hell is flame brains problem lately?" Gray asked to no one in particular. Lucy wondered the same thing but didn't comment. Lucy spent the day at the guild, just socializing with her friends and distracting herself for the nagging voice in her head. When she got home she decided to sit at her desk and write for a little while. She had made decent progress in her book and was almost a third of the way finished. Levy would be excited when she shared the news with her. Lucy stared at the clock, suddenly realizing how late it was. She laid her pen down and decided to settle down for the night, going through her nightly routine and snuggling in her bed. She was asleep in minutes, happily drifting off to dreamland.


	2. Chapter Two

Natsu didn't understand why he was feeling like this. He couldn't even place what this feeling was. He just knew that it had to do with Lucy being with Gray. At first he didn't care that they were dating and then he started smelling Gray all over her apartment and then on her. The first night he smelled he found himself being pinned down by Erza while Lucy stared at him. Almost with a scared look on her face. When he looked at Gray he realized he had busted his nose and was bleeding every where. Wendy had to fix his broken nose and Erza gave Natsu a stern talking-to. That night Natsu had gone home early and even skipped a team mission the next day. He knew he was acting weird but couldn't understand what the hell was going on. It just seemed to be getting worse the more he saw Gray and Lucy together. He started clamming up every time Lucy came around and out right avoided Gray whenever he could. It had really been impacting Team Natsu but he just didn't know what to do. What was this feeling? He heard footsteps behind him as he marched out of the guild. What did iron breath want?

"Yo, Salamander," Natsu paused and turned to look at Gajeel, he was scratching the back of his head and almost looked nervous. He heard Levy walk up behind Gajeel to whisper something in his ear. Gajeel blushed and nodded. As she turned to walk away his eyes followed her and he sighed," look, I don't know how much your dragon told you about your nature but I think we need to have a talk about some things," Natsu had perked up. There were a lot of things that Igneel had only mentioned and Natsu was curious about some things. Natsu weighed Gajeels words. He sighted and nodded his head. Maybe Gajeel could help him with this whole Lucy thing while he was at it. Natsu resumed walking in the direction of his home and Gajeel followed. They walked in silence all the way there. They entered Natsu's house and Happy barely acknowledged the both of them, only grunting when Natsu said hello. They had recently got a lacrimavision and all happy wanted to do was watch it. Gajeel snickered at the blue cat.

"So, I know Igneel told me a lot of things but if I'm being honest I don't really remember a lot of it" Natsu said as he slouched on his couch. Gajeel looked around. The cottage was a nice little house but damn was it a mess. He walked to the chair next to the couch and turned it around and through his leg over the side, sitting in it backwards.

"Well what do you remember?" Gajeel asked. Natsu took a minute to respond.

"Honsetly, mostly just the stuff on how to fight and things not to eat to avoid getting sick," he rubbed the back of his neck," and maybe a few other things like that," Natsu looked Gajeel in the face," I don't get why we need to talk about that though. What did you mean when you said we needed to talk about my nature?" Gajeel dragged his hand down his face. He was not looking forward to this conversation but Levy had talked him into it. She was worried about him. Especially after hearing about him breaking Gray's nose.

"Okay, what do dragons like to do when they find treasure?" Gajeel was trying to figure out how to approach the subject.

"What?" Natsu looked so confused.

"For fucks sake," Gajeel took a deep breath," look I'm going to be real blunt here. You're pissed off lately because you've imprinted on bunny girl and you want to fuck her brains out," at this point Happy had started listening. His eyes bulged out of his head and he turned to Natsu. His reaction was much the same.

" Wha...imprint...what the hell…" Natsu stared at the floor trying to make sense of what Gajeel just said.

"We're more like dragons than people seem to realize. When we find someone and begin to love them we imprint on them. That means we never more attuned to them and we get really possessive. A lot like dragons do when they hoard treasure," he paused, making sure Natsu was listening," to put it in simpler terms, you're in love with bunny girl and you're pissed that snow flake beat you to her," satisfied with his explanation he let Natsu absorb the information. Natsu's brain was short circuiting. He was in love with Lucy? That wasn't possible. Was it? As the wheels in his brain turned he finally clicked all the pieces into place. He placed his hands over his face and started laughing. Happy and Gajeel stared at him like he'd gone mad.

" I think you broke him," Happy muttered.

"I'm an idiot," Natsu leaned forward in his seat and placed his elbows on his knees. He had a sad smile on his face," there ain't shit I can do about it now," he took a deep breath," is there?" He looked up at Gajeel. He shrugged.

" I don't know. I will say this though, don't torture yourself by avoiding her. You'll put yourself through hell and it could end up bad," he made eye contact," your inner dragon could come out and hurt her," Natsu gulped. Shit. Shit. Shit. How was he going to be able to deal with Lucy being with Gray. Now that he understood his feelings he placed the uneasy feeling of seeing them together as jealousy. Natsu was jealous. Gajeel stood up and stretched. Levy would be proud of him. Maybe she'll even reward him. He snickered to himself.

" Just be careful and try to control yourself. You're freaking everyone out," he made his way to the door and had it half way open," if you have any questions I guess you can just come find me or Levy. See ya Salamander."

It felt like Natsu sat on his couch thinking forever. Happy had gone back to his lacrimavision completely oblivious to Natsu's inner turmoil. Mavis, he felt like a dumbass. How had he not knowticed sooner? He vaguely recalled Igneel mentioning imprinting but couldn't remember what he said. Stupid.

"Happy, I'm going for a walk," the cat mumbled his response as Natsu walked out the door. He needed some fresh air. It was late. He let his thoughts wander. Trying to pinpoint the exact moment it happened. It seemed impossible. They had so many memories together. As he replayed them in his head he stopped. Somehow he subconsciously made his way to her apartment. He chuckled to himself and jumped into the tree next to her window. He peered in and took a big breath in through his nose. He didn't feel like dealing with the ice bastard tonight.

Deciding he wasn't there he opened the window to let himself in. Lucy was sleeping peacefully. He dropped himself in to sit by her bed, leaning his head on the mattress to look at her face. Yep he was an idiot. He closed his eyes and sighed. He wondered how she felt about him. Well obviously she seemed to be more interested in Gray. He gritted his teeth. Why'd it have to be snowflake? He thought about it and realized it would have been the same if it were anyone else too. Anyone but him. Fuck. He owned his eyes and looked at her again. She was so beautiful. Why hadn't he just seen it sooner? He took a deep breath and got up. He would love to crawl in bed with her but that just didn't feel right anymore. He reached out and brushed her hair away from her face. He smiled, that sad smile at her.

"I love you…" he muttered. It was a statement more than a confession.

With that last thought he disappeared out her window.


	3. Chapter Three

Lucy was perched at her normal seat at the bar lost in thought when she felt a hand smack her on the back.

"Hey Luce," Natsu grinned at her. He still seemed off somehow but he was mostly back to his normal self. It had been almost 2 weeks since she caught him scowling at her. She still felt uneasy about his behavior but she decided it was better than him avoiding her. She still caught him making odd faces at Gray but she never said anything. She had been kind of lonely without him. She caught herself on that thought. She had to remind herself that she had moved on from Natsu. At least she kept telling herself it was true. She gave him a small smile and turned back to her other side where Gray was seated. He had his hand on her thigh and was talking to Loke, who had taken it upon himself to come visit from the spirit world. He had somehow lost his shirt and Lucy giggled at his habit. He caught her staring and leaned in to give her a small kiss. As he was leaning away he whispered in her ear.

"We can ditch and go to your place if you want," he wiggled his eyebrows at her. She felt a blush all the way to her chest.

Behind her Natsu was seething. He knew he had no right to be so upset but the idea of Lucy with Gray like that made his blood boil. He didn't even notice when he busted his mug. Mira shrieked when she heard the busting glass. Lucy turned around and saw the blood trickling down his arm.

"Natsu!" She grabbed his hand and his skin heated at her touch. He closed his eyes," Natsu, are you ok?" He looked at her, he felt dazed. Almost drunk. Maybe he could play it off like he was. He looked back at Mira who had a weird expression on her face. He looked down at his hand. Damn, that hurt. Lucy stood up and started leading him up the stairs to the infirmary. She sat him down on one of the best and retrieved the first aid kit. She took out a pair of gloves and some treazers and played out a cloth. Slowly she started picking out pieces of glass.

"Natsu?" He peered up from his hand" are you ok? You've been acting really strange lately," he sucked in a breath as she pulled out a larger piece of glass. He knew she was going to ask about his behavior sooner or later. He just hadn't come up with an excuse yet.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Usually he could deter her with his own questions. She sighed like she knew he was going to say that. It took her a few more minutes before she finally dug out all the pieces of glass. She took her gloves off and rolled up the cloth with the glass. As she rolled up the cloth she sliced her finger on a piece that was sticking out.

"Ouch!" She yelped. She pulled her hand up to examine her finger but before she could Natsu had grabbed it. After examining it he placed her finger tip on his tongue and sicked the blood off. Lucy moaned at the action. Her face reddened and she put a hand over her mouth. Natsu stiffened and his eyes bulged out of his head. He had never heard Lucy make a sound like that before. He lowered her hand and scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry…" he said quietly," I'll go find Wendy," he left her there. He couldn't be around her right now. Not after he heard a noise like that come from her. He needed to calm down.


	4. Chapter Four

Natsu couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something was coming. He could feel it in his magic. Something weird was happening at the guild and all of Magnolia. Mira had been stockpiling food and other goods she seemed necessary. Cana had cut back on booze and the trio that followed Laxus like lost puppies seemed unusually somber. Like they knew something the rest of the guild didn't. It drove Natsu's anxiety through the roof. Gajeel seemed to have been in on it as well. It irked Natsu but he couldn't seem to come up with a way to ask about it. He thought about asking Master Makarov but he hadn't seen the old man in weeks. Come to think of it he hadn't seen Makarov since the guild had been rebuilt. Was he okay? Of course he was. He had to be. Natsu felt a hand on his shoulder. Mira whispered quietly.

"Before the guild closes I have a favor," she smiled," just make sure you're here when everyone leaves," he nodded. Maybe this would be a good chance to ask about what was going on.

Levy had been asked to stay after hours by Mira and it was one of the oddest requests she'd ever been asked by the take over mage. Not really the request but the way she said it made her uneasy. Almost like she was nervous about something. Mira had requested she bring Gajeel, which made Levy blush. It hadn't been that long since the two had gotten together and Levy had thought the only ones that knew were Lucy and Gray, but things never stayed hidden from Mira for long. She wrinkled her nose. She had never really seen Mira nervous before. It made Levy anxious. She walked through the doors of the guilds library and was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled behind a shelf. She almost let out a shreik until she realized it was Natsu. She gave him a puzzled look and he placed a finger over his mouth. He pointed toward the back of the library and that's when Levy heard the voices.

"I'm just not ready yet! Just stop freaking pushing it!" Lucy? But who was she telling at? Levy looked to Natsu who was clearly tense.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything, I just don't understand what the hold up is! Why aren't you ready? It's been almost three months! It's just sex Lucy!!!" Levy felt a blush spread from her ears. Oh. My. Mavis. She glanced at Natsu again. His face was a mix of anguish and anger. Levy had to get him out of here now. As much as he tried to play it off, she knew he hated Lucy being with Gray. She yanked his arm, and he just stared at her.

"Natsu…" she whispered," come on we can go talk," he turned back toward the arguing couples voices. He let out a long breath and nodded. She could tell he didn't want to leave Lucy right now. She decided to distract them. As soon as they were outside of the library door she made a solid script book just inside of the door. As soon as it fell on the floor she heard footsteps come toward the door. She grabbed Natsu's arm and bolted upstairs.


	5. Chapter Five

Lucy decided to spend the day in the guilds library researching and writing for her book. She had a date with Gray in the evening but that wasn't for several more hours. She had stacks of books spread out all over the table with notes scattered among them. It was a mess really, but she had so many great ideas. She stood up and placed a hand on her chin while the other rested at her hip. All of a sudden she felt two hands creep around her waist. She jumped slightly and turned her head to find Gray's head resting on her shoulder.

"How's it going?" He asked softly, while running his lips down her neck. She shuttered and blushed. Sure they had fooled around a little but she still wasn't used to it.

"I..it's going," she tried not to let the nervousness come out in her voice. Gray's chuckle was an indication it hadn't worked. Hee blush deepened," I thought you took a mission with Erza and Natsu?" She turned in his arms to face him. His face hardened slightly.

"Well flame brain is off doing his own thing and Erza said she was rescheduling, she said something came up," he was scratching the back of his head now. He looked down at her and reached a hand up to cup her cheek. That stood like this until he came down to catch her lips. He kissed her hard. She closed her eyes. When she opened them again she found herself push back against the table and sitting. Gray pressed between her legs. He kissed her harder and pressed his length between her thighs. She broke the kiss and felt her face redden. He looked at her questioningly and took her lips again, this time laying her against the table. Lucy began to squirm. She wasn't ready for this. Not now and definitely not here. She tried to break away but Gray wasn't getting the hint. Finally she pushed him off, hard, and knocked him back a few feet.

"What the hell Lucy?!?" He asked angrily.

"We've talked about this, I'm not ready to take that step yet and you know it. Especially not here!" She spat back.

"Why?!?" He seemed so angry about it. But why? Did he just want to have sex with her? Was that it?

"Why are you so hung up on it?!? Did you just date me so that you could have sex with me?" Venom was seething from her words. He scowled at her.

" Damnit Lucy you know better than that!" He was yelling now.

"I'm just not ready yet! Just stop freaking pushing it!" Lucy was so angry she was shaking. She had a half a mind to Lucy kick him in the balls.

"I'm not forcing you to do anything, I just don't understand what the hold up is! Why aren't you ready? It's been almost three months! It's just sex Lucy!!!" He was gritting his teeth at her now. It pissed her off even more.

"Just sex? JUST SEX? I refuse to give my virginity to someone who thinks about it as just sex! If you want JUST SEX you can go find it with someone else!" She was scrambling to pick up her things now almost ready to walk out when she heard a thunk. They both turned to find a book laying at the door. Lucy walked to pick it and realized it was a solid script book. Levy she thought. She opened the book to the first page and it said 'Come find me later when you want to talk'. Lucy smiled sadly and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath.

" I think you should go cool off," she would have laughed at her own words had she not been so angry.

"Yeah...whatever," he muttered as he shoved his hands in his pockets and trudged out of the room. Lucy slumped to the floor, hugging the book to her chest. She began to cry. She felt suddenly cold and found herself wishing Natsu were here to warm her up.


	6. Chapter Six

Natsu was seething. He could feel his vision redden at the conversation before him. How could that son of a bitch say something like that to her? Natsu felt Levy grab his arm. He had paniced when she walked into the library. He had grabbed her absentmindedly and signalled her to hush. He wanted so bad to beat the ice prick to a pulp but knew nothing good would come from it. It would at least make him feel better. Maybe. He could hear the underlying sadness in Lucy's angry voice. He was hurting her. Maybe not physically, but he was still hurting her. Natsu felt like his heart was being ripped from his chest. No one had any right to disregard her feelings like that. Levy's whispered vice pulled him from his thoughts.

"Natsu…" she paused," come on, we can go talk," he turned back towards the arguing couples voices. He let out a long steadying breath and nodded. Levy grabbed his arm and slowly pulled him out of the library's doorway. She paused momentarily to look back at him and smiled. She raised her hands a wrote out the word 'BOOK' just inside of the door. He heard a loud thud and Levy grabbed his arm again and ran like hell down the hallway. He grinned. Just like Lucy, Levy was always smart when it came to situations like this.

There was a voice in the back of Natsu's head screaming at him to go back and rescue Lucy from the son of a bitch she called her boyfriend. Just thinking about him being close enough to Lucy to be called that left a sour taste in his mouth. He had always thought of Gray as a good friend, regardless of all the fights they'd gotten into. But after hearing his talk to Lucy that way? Well, he was pretty sure he hated his guts for that alone. His mind wandered to what Gray had said about them doing everything BUT have sex. He felt his stomach churn at the thought. He might be a virgin idiot but when you grow up in a guild like Fairy Tail and have superhuman hearing, you hear about other people's dirty business. Not to mention he could smell it. Sometimes it just plain grossed him out. If the guild knew he could tell who was sleeping with who they would probably skin him alive. And he didn't even want to think about what would happen if Mira found out. The take over mage would have a field day with her romantic plotting. He really should have listened to her sooner when it came to that stuff. Maybe he would have been with Lucy by now. He would never force her to do anything she didn't want to, much less question why she didn't want to. Damnit he was so pissed. He picked his head up from the table to look at Levy and Gajeel. Gajeel had sniffed Levy out and demanded to know what was going on, so Levy dragged them both to a nearby cafe. He didn't think that screw for brains would let him lose to go set the ice bastard on fire. He huffed for what felt like the millionth time and slammed his forehead back onto the table.

"I understand you're frustrated, but if you keep slamming your head on this table you're going to cause yourself brain damage!" Levy scolded. He snorted. Maybe brain damage would do him some good.

"Hey, hot head. I know that you're pissed but you need to get your shit together!" Now Gajeel was starting in on him too? Normally he would have flown off the handle but he just didn't have the energy. Gajeel and Levy looked at each other with concern when he didn't respond. Levy took a grounding breath.

"Okay. Look, I know that you're angry, I am too. Especially after hearing all of that. I never would have expected Gray to be so pushy like that. It's almost sickening," Levy paused to make sure Natsu was actually listening. He was now sitting up and looking at her directly in the face," but you can't fly off the handle like I know you're thinking about doing," she paused again to look at Gajeel who was absently playing with her hair," I invited Lucy to my place after I meet with Mira later, so maybe I'll be able to talk to her a little bit," she smiled at Natsu.

" Wait,you have to stay after hours too?!?" Natsu perked up at the news.

"Yeah, both of us do," Levy gave him a puzzled look.

"Do you know what's going on then? Everyone at the guild has been acting super weird lately and I just can't figure out why," Gajeel focused on Natsu.

" I guess you noticed too hothead. I don't know what's going on but I do know it's something big. Sparky's been driving me nuts with his anxious electric currents," Levy giggled. She hadn't heard that nickname for Laxus in a long time.

"Well I guess we won't find out until we go now will we?" Levy looked at her watch. It was later than she thought. The guild would be closing soon," we should actually be heading that way, unless you guys want to piss Mira off?" Levy quirked her head and displayed a smug look. bothell dragon slayers shuddered and stood up. They did not want to incur the wrath of that terrifying demon woman.


	7. Chapter Seven

Lucy was exhausted. Maybe not physically but mentally. She was emotionally drained. After she had arrived home she just sat in her bathtub and ranted to Aquarius's broken key. She knew she probably couldn't hear her but she didn't care. She still felt emotionally attached to the key and it made her feel connected to the angry merwoman. Still, she wished she could call on her to tell her of her turmoil. Sensing her grief, her pink haired spirit popped her head out of the water. Levy yelped and sloshed water over the side of the tub.

"Damnit Virgo! Don't scare me like that! My heart can't take it right now," Lucy sank back into the water. Normally Virgo would be asking for punishment right about now.

"Princess, are you alright?" The way she said it sounded funny to Lucy. It was almost as if she knew what had happened but thought Lucy would feel better explaining. Lucy smiled and let out a calming breath. She explained everything to Virgo and found herself heated again.

"This never would have happened had you just confessed your true feelings to master Natsu," Virgo never missed a beat when it came to tormenting her over the fire mage. Lucy ripened as she remembered confessing her feelings to Virgo drunkenly one night," does that mean you're going to punish me for my insolence?!?" Virgo asked excitedly. Lucy huffed.

"No Virgo, but...you are right. I just can't believe I've gotten myself into this mess. I don't really know how things are going to turn out," she learned back and rested her head on the rim of the tub," I don't know if I want to be with Gray anymore. And the whole situation with Natsu...it just seems to be getting stickier," Lucy grimaced. As she ran through the events of the past month, she just couldn't get rid of the bitter taste in her mouth. She hadn't realized how much distance had grown between her and her best friend. She looked at the clock. She shot up out of that bath.

" That's right! Levy invited me over!" She rushed to dry off and get dressed. She hoped she was still up. Virgo bowed to Lucy and faded back into the spirit realm. She knew that everything would work itself out in time.


	8. Chapter Eight

**I just wanna say how grateful I am to everyone who has started following this story. I've never published any of my ramblings before and it makes me feel amazing to know that people actually like it. If you have any feedback please voice it. I would love to hear what you guys have to say. Thank you!**

The trio walked into the guild. It was probably the quietest the hall had ever been. Seated around the bar were Cana, Laxus, and Gildarts, while Elfman, Lisana, and Mira we're behind the bar cleaning up. Bixslow, Evergreen, and Freed were all seated at a table, not to far from Laxus. As always, Levy thought. Everyone turned to greet them except for Laxus who just grunted into his drink. Levy took a seat at a table by the bar while Gajeel and Natsu followed. Mira cleared her throat and they all focused their attention on the bar-maid.

"I'm sure all of you are wondering why I've asked you to stay behind after hours. I'm going to get straight to the point," she took a deep breath," Master Makarov is missing," a collective gasp was heard while Laxus spit his sip of beer all over the floor behind the bar.

"WHAT?" Levy couldn't remember ever hearing Laxus so panicked. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Master was missing. Where could he have gone? Mira whistled to calm everyone's chattering.

"I don't know all the details, but Mest contacted me several weeks ago. Some of you may have noticed me collecting more provisions and other odd things here and there. I have gathered you all here because we're going to go find him," she paused to let everyone soak up the information," Meat lost contact with him close to the Kingdom of Alvarez, so we're going to start there. This is going to be dangerous, so if any of you want to back out now please, do so now," she scanned the room for any sign of hesitation. She found none," Very well then. I will start by assigning teams. Gildarts, Cana, and Natsu, will be the stealth team. You three seem to be the best at narrowly escaping death so I think that will be the best fit. Bixslow, Lisanna, and Evergreen will be our defense team. Your magic is best suited for such. Elfman, Laxus, and myself will be offense. We're the hard hitters," Natsu was about to chime in, when Mira shot him a look. He slowly sank back into his seat, not wanting to incur the wrath of the demon woman," Freed you will be acting as our traveling communicator. Which means Levy and Gajeel will be staying behind to acting as out privileged comunicationalists. I say privileged because under no circumstances is any of this information to be uttered to anyone inside or outside of the guild. None of you are allowed to say a single thing about this operation to anyone. To avoid any suspension, each team will be leaving on different days. Stealth team, you three leave in two days. That should give you enough time to get your business in order," Mira looked at Natsu again and pursed her lips," I know you're going to hate this, but Happy can't come with us Natsu," Natsu was about to argue but then thought about it. This was going to be dangerous and he didn't want to put Happy in any dangerous situations. He nodded," defense team will head out next. Freed you will be traveling with them. I think it would be strange if you didn't go on a 'mission' with the rest of the Thunder God Tribe. You four will head out 3 days after them. The day after that the offense team will be leaving. I will have everything packed and ready to go as far as provisions go for each team but you will need to pack enough clothes for at least three months," Natsu's heart wrenched at the news. He wouldn't see Lucy for three months? Maybe more? Mavis, how was he going to make it? He could barely hand being in separate rooms, but he was going to be who knows how many miles away from her for months on end. After he packed he was going to go see her. He didn't care if the ice bastard was there, or what they were doing. He at least had to say good-bye," I know this is short notice, but this i picked all of you knowing you would all be up to the job," and with that Mira dismissed her fellow guild mates.


	9. Chapter Nine

Lucy could see the light of the main hall still on, but she didn't see Levy's light on in her room. Lucy decided to buzz levy from the dorm's communication lacrima located at the door. Erza's voice echoed slightly through the speaker.

"State your business," it was more of a demand than a statement.

"Um, Hi Erza. It's Lucy. I was just wondering if Levy was in. I wanted to see her," sometime she forgot how anxious talking to Erza could make her.

"Oh, yes, she just got in. Go ahead and come in," she heard the door unlock and it swing open.

"She is in the lounge room," Erza guided Lucy in and locked the door behind her. Always the cautious one. Mavis help any man who tried to make their way into Fairyhills. Erza guided Lucy into the main hall," it's straight down the hall," Lucy thanked her and followed her directions. Not wanting to startle Levy she knocked on the trim of the doorway. Levy looked up from her book.

"Lu!" She stood up, ready to walk to greet her. Lucy stopped her and walked to the seat next to her and sat down. She had steeled herself for this conversation on her walk over. She was rather curious as to how much Levy had heard. She steadied her thoughts with a deep breath. Before she even got a word put Levy was talking.

"How long has he been pressuring you?" That answered her question. Lucy sighed heavily, leaning her elbows on the table. She ran a hand through her hair.

"I guess for about the past three weeks or so. It kind of started after...after I gave him…" Lucy blushed and all but whispered," oral sex," Levy flamed at the admission. Levy saw that as a big step in Lucy's relationship ship with the ice wizard, but that still wasn't an excuse to push her into having sex with him. Levy pursed her lips.

"I don't really have much advice for a situation like this, but I am here to lend an ear or a shoulder if you need it. The only thing I can say is to step back and take a good look at how you feel and be true to those feelings," Lucy smiled a genuine smile. Levy was right. She just had to think about how she truly felt. For now she wanted to think about something else," Thank you Levy. For now I'd kind of like to change the subject. How are things going with Gajeel?" Levy fidgeted at the question. She couldn't tell if Lucy was suspicious or if she just wanted to know how things were going. Levy pinked and smiled dreamily at her friend.

"Things are so good Lu. I actually have some news but I don't know how to break it to him. Maybe you can help me come up with some ideas," Lucy tilted her head in question," I'm pre…" before Levy could finish her sentence there was a loud crash in the direction of the main hall. They jumped up and rushed down the hallway to find a very naked Gray. Gray being naked wasn't that new, but being accompanied by a half naked Juvia was very much out of the normal. They were both cowering from very angry swords.

"Gray. Would you mind explaining why you were in Juvia's room?" It was clear he was done for. The two quaking mages turned to the twin gasps behind them. Gray's eyes bulged at the sight of Lucy. He was trying to formulate an excuse and began sputtering. Lucy was visibly shaking at the sight.

"How..how could you?" Tears began falling freely. She did her best to wipe them as they fell," I really thought we might be able to work things out, but then you go and sneak behind my back and do, who knows what with one of my friends? GO TO HELL!!!" Lucy bounded for the door. Gray was tripping trying to get up. In the background you could hear Juvia.

"You lied to Juvia. You lied. Why would Gray lie about breaking up with Lucy," another bout of tears fell and Lucy found herself running for the door. Gray was finally up. He was fumbling for words to placate both women. He started for the door but was intercepted by Erza.

"You will not get away with behaving like a scoundrel!" She was livid. Levy decided to let Erza handle the cheating bastard. Levy ran out the door to follow Lucy before she got herself hurt. She found her crumpled on the street with a very concerned teenager and her exceed. Wendy's anxiety was clearly written on her face. Lucy was barely making sense between wails.

"I chust whant..I want Nahtshu," Carla looked to Wendy, clearly lost on what to do.

" Wendy, I hate to ask but would you put her to sleep?" The young dragon slayer nodded,"Carla, go get Gajeel for me? We'll take care of her," Carla didn't answer, instead she opted to fly off in the direction of Gajeel's home. She returned several minutes later to find Lucy crumpled against the bluenette. Gajeel scratched his head. He could smell fresh tears on the celestial mage.

"I'll explain while we take her to Natsu. Thank you ladies. We'll make sure she's ok," Wendy smiled and waved to them while the white cat bowed, heading toward the dorm doors. Gajeel walked to the sleeping girl and picked her up. She whimpered at the movement. Levy stroked her face to comfort her. Levy looked up at her dragon slayer and smiled. Sending him her silent thanks she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek. He blushed but followed as she walked in the direction of Natsu's cottage. She hoped the pink haired boy could bring comfort to her hurting friend.


	10. Chapter Ten

"Damn," Gajeel mused,"I never pegged the Ice bastard for a horn dog," he had an odd look on his face. One she couldn't read. Levy had just gotten done explaining what happened and how Lucy ended up being put to sleep. She decided his expression was a mix of sadness and...disgust? She still couldn't tell. She still couldn't believe everything that had happened. Her head was starting to hurt. They created the top of a hill and Natsu's house came into view. She steeled her nerves at the conversation that was about to be had with the dragon slayer. She was so happy she had brought Gajeel. She would never have been able to stop him from murdering Gray by herself. They reached his door and before they could even knock the door opened. No doubt his nose sniffed them out. He furrowed his eyebrows about to ask why there were there until his eyes fell to the unconscious form in Gajeel's arms. He swung the door open wider the look of panic evident on his face.

" What happened?!?! Is Lucy okay? Who did the…," Levy stopped him mid sentence.

"NATSU," he had since grabbed Lucy and was cradling her in his arms on his floor. Gajeel and Levy walked in and sat on his couch," I need you to promise you won't do anything rash," he made a face at her request," I'm serious Natsu, this is important," Levy waited.

"Fine." He muttered. Levy carefully recounted the events of the evening, watching as Natsu tensed the parts that involved the ice mage. Gajeel wore the same disgusted look Levy couldn't quite decipher. By the end of her explanation Natsu's anger was palpable. They could practically feel it rolling off of his body. Lucy began to stir. Levy decided it would be best to give the two some time alone. She stood up and headed toward the door.

"We're going to go make sure Erza didn't burn down Fairyhills. I know i don't have to ask you to take care of her but if you need anything you know where to find me," he gave her a small nod and her and Gajeel left him. Gajeel stopped just outside his door and spoke so low only a fellow dragon slayer would be able to hear him.

"She loves you, you know. just don't do anything stupid before you leave," and with that he was alone with Lucy. Happy asleep in the other room. She thrashing around and he knew she would wake up any second now. He was just about to carry her over to the house when she shot up, a sob taking over her body.

"Nahtshu!" The tears were back and she just couldn't seem to stop them. She hadn't realized where she was.

"Lucy…" he reached for her and she jumped, startled at his presence. Recognizing where she was, she launched forward burying herself in his chest. Sobs wracked her body and Natsu's heart ached painfully. He wanted nothing more than to go find Gray and pummel him right now but Lucy was far more important. Her cries had stopped but she had pressed herself further into him until her whole body was fully against him. Natsu did his best not to react but his body had a mind of its own. Natsu tinted as his length pressed against her outer thigh. She reached in between their bodies, trying to remove whatever was poking her. When she grasped it in her hand Natsu let out a loan. His hand shot to cover his mouth. Lucy leaned up off of his shoulder and stared at him.

"I'm sorry Luce...I didn't mean to...it just...i just," he stopped. She was laughing. His brows furrowed in concern, which made her laugh harder, "Luce? Are...are you okay?" To answer his question simply? No. But right now she just couldn't help but laugh At herself. She really was an idiot.

"Considering everything going on with Gray right now, I should be totally pissed off at you," she paused to breath," yet I'm not. If anything," she closed her eyes,"I'm just happy that you're here," she leaned back into him and wrapped her arms around his torso for a hug. He hesitated briefly, before deepening the hug. This is how it should have been all along.


	11. Chapter Eleven

They sat and talked for hours. About nothing and everything all at once. It felt like they hadn't spent time together in forever. Lucy thought it almost felt like they were back to normal. Almost. Natsu still seemed to be a little tense. Like he was afraid of messing up. Lucy wanted nothing more than to reassure him that he couldn't mess things up, but she had no right to when she felt like she could do the same. He noticed her get quiet and decided to cautiously open the door for the subject.

"So...do you still want to be with him?" Lucy blinked at the sudden serious tone. She felt there was no coming back from what he had done. She didn't even know how far he had went with Juvia. Natsu spoke almost in a whisper. If she hadn't been hyper aware of him she probably wouldn't have heard him," Do you love him?" She sucked in a breath. His face had always been so expressive, but she had never seen his look so terrified. Like the next words she uttered could shatter his entire existence. It finally hit her. He loved her. He loved her the way she wished he would for years and years. Had he agonized over it the way she did? Did he think she didn't feel that way about him? Of course he did. She had chosen Gray. She now understood his odd behavior the past several months. She sighed.

"No, I don't love him...and... I don't think I could be with him anymore. I don't even know how I'm going to be teammates with him, much less friends," she met his eyes. His body relaxed finally and he closed his eyes, a small smile gracing his lips. Lucy's eyes shot to the action. Before she could stop herself she reached a hand up to touch them. He jolted from the contact and his eyes flung open. She blushed and pulled her hand away. He grabbed it before she could move it completely away.

"Lucy... I….I.."

"Lushee!" They both jumped and looked up. The blue exceed barrelling into Lucy's chest for a hug. She smiled. She didn't realize how long it had been since she'd seen the stupid cat. She hugged him back.

"I missed you too Happy," she snuggled her head into him. Natsu cleared his throat.

"Do you want to go take a bath? I know you like to take those when you don't feel good," he scratched the back of his head.

"Are you sick Lucy?" Happy asked innocently. She shook her head.

" No Happy, I just had a long day," she looked up from the sleepy cat," I'd like that. And maybe afterwards we can have a sleepover? I've never stayed over at your house before," she was smiling that soft smile at Natsu. He felt his ears redden. He patted her signalling her to move from his lap. He still couldn't believe she had stayed there as long as she had. Natsu made his way to the bathroom and straightened up as best he could, making sure his dirty clothes were at least cleaned up. He rinsed the tub out and began filling it with water. The water never got very hot so he dipped his hand in and heating it up with a little fire. It was boiling but the time she got in it would probably be perfect. He knew Lucy liked really hot baths. His mind began wandering to Lucy's naked form sliding into his bath tub, water dripping between her breasts and down her stomach to her...he smacked his cheeks. Natsu had never so much as looked at a woman before Lucy came along. One night he had broken into her apartment and she was asleep. He was about to sneak into her bed but froze when he peeled the blanket back. Lucy was in her normal night shorts and a loose fitting tank top, but the arm of the tank top had been pushed to the side giving Natsu a full view of her right breast. He had seen Lucy naked a few times before but he had never touched her before. He reached his hand out to cup the soft flesh. It felt nice, but he didn't understand why men fawned over them so much, until she let out a moan. He massaged it a little harder earning him another. Then he smelled it. Her arousal hit his nose and he almost lost his balance. He had smelled it before, only faintly around her bed, but this, this was intense. He rubbed his face at the memory. He needed to calm down. He took a deep breath and walked to the back room pausing shortly to check on Lucy and Happy. They were still chatting away but they had moved to the couch. He could feel the sadness of having to leave them in a few days creeping up on him but he forced it down. He shook his head and continued to his bedroom. It was called a bedroom but he never slept in there. He didn't even own a bed. All it contained was a small dresser and a desk that was littered with papers from past missions. He riffled through the dresser to find a t-shirt. He grabbed a towel off the top as he walked out and went to hand it to Lucy. She smiled at him. Happy smirked and shot up.

"Hold on Lucy," Natsu and Lucy looked at him questioningly, then each other. Lucy shrugged. Happy came back with a pair of pale pink panties in his hand and a smug look on his face," these are from when we played ninja with your underwear," Natsu had smoke coming from his ears now. Happy tried to stifle a giggle. At least they were her modest ones.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Juvia was heartbroken to say the least. The past few months that Gray and Lucy had been together had been terrible for her. She thought that after helping Gray get through everything with his Father that she was going to finally make progress with him. She had never expected him to confess having feelings for Lucy. When he had tapped on her window that night she was ecstatic.

"Can we talk?" He had never asked her to just talk before. She had just nodded.

"I'm leaving Friday," Juvia's heart sank,"I haven't really felt like myself lately...I think it's my demon slayer magic," he slumped to the floor. Somehow he had already lost his shirt and Juvia couldn't help but stare," I was wondering if...if maybe you'd come with me?" Juvia's eyes bulged. Was he serious? Juvia hesitated.

"What about Lucy?" Gray flinched at the way she said the question. He had genuinely liked Lucy and had found himself treating her as some sort of conquest instead of actually treating her like a girlfriend. Whenever she was around his demon slayer magic would flare up and he found himself just wanting to screw her brains out. Sometimes he was disgusted with himself.

"We aren't...together anymore," at least they wouldn't be. If he knew anything, he knew Lucy was done with him. Juvia had jumped into his arms at the admission. Gray gave her a small smile. Juvia blushed at her reaction.

"Juvia is sorry. She is just excited that Gray finally picked Juvia," her blush deepened and began to untangle herself from him. He gripped her harder and their eyes met. He studied her face for a moment before leaning in to press his lips before. Juvia's mind went blank. Before she could even grasp what was happening her top was off and Gray had her back pressed against the floor. He positioned himself between her legs and ground his already hard length against her. She let out a loud moan and he repeated the motion. She was in ecstasy. Gray was finally hers. In a matter of seconds Gray was completely naked before her. She had seen him nude several thousand times but she had never been this close. She placed a hand on his chest and slid down his stomach toward his manhood. All of a sudden the door swung open to reveal a very angry redhead. Gray fumbled to get up. Juvia just sat there, shock clearly evident in her expression. How had she know? Then she remembered the enchantment that was set around Fairyhills. It would alert the house mother anytime someone with a Y chromosome had entered the dorm's. Before she could process the situation both mages were thrown down the staircase to the main hall, breaking and damaging several vases and pictures on the way down. Juvia had never faced the wrath of Erza before. She was terrified. She heard gasps behind her and found Levy and Lucy staring at them. Juvia would never be able to forget the look on Lucy's face as long as she lived. It read pure anguish. She looked to Gray and back to Lucy. Gray was fumbling for an excuse but it was too late. Juvia didn't even hear what everyone was saying as Lucy fled the building.

"You lied to Juvia. You lied. Why would Gray lie about breaking up with Lucy?"

Erza turned to the water mage. She felt her anger toward her diminish. On the other hand her anger for her fellow teammate grew tenfold. Levy had blocked the door for the ice mage and he just couldn't come up with any excuses. Juvia watched as Erza dragged the ice mage out of the building. Juvia felt worry build over his well being but pushed it back. She was too hurt right now. Gray lied to her but seeing one of the most cheerful people she had ever met make a face like that just made her heart clench. She had a part in this. It was her fault too. She started crying and melted into a puddle.

She pulled herself from her thoughts and turned to Erza. After beating the ice mage to a pulp, she had contacted Mira, who happened to still be at the guild. It had taken some coaxing but Juvia finally agreed to go to the guild when Levy and Gajeel had made their way back to Fairyhills. From what she gathered they had taken Lucy to Natsu's house after they found Lucy broken down in the street screaming for him. Another wave of guilt washed over her at the thought. She heard someone clear their throat across the table from her. It was Gajeel.

He was soaked. She hadn't realized she was making it rain.

"I don't know much about what happened, but I know bunny girl doesn't blame you," Gajeel scratched his chin and looked at the table.

"That just makes Juvia feel even worse.." Gajeel flinched. He was no good at this sort of thing. He sighed.

"I know you probably feel like shit, but I know Lucy is okay now. I don't know how you deal with things, but when Levy's upset she writes it down. I get so many letters it probably looks like I'm always in the dog house," Gajeel blushed. Juvia couldn't help but giggle at his admission. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Natsu had always taken such good care of Lucy so she knew Gajeel was right. Maybe, she thought, Natsu's feelings would finally be returned. Juvia turned to the pouting ice mage. Erza had tied him up for good measure, but it wasn't necessary with all of her raw power. Juvia would have to have a stern chat with him in a few days.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Lucy stepped out of Natsu's small bathroom. He was already in his hammock, rocking himself back and forth. She looked to the couch to find Happy snoozing away on a pillow Natsu had laid out for her. There was a blanket crumpled up next to it. She smiled a little and let it fall. She wanted nothing more than to crawl into her nice warm bed with him right now. A faint blush graced her face at the thought as she turned back to him.

He could hear her feet patting against the hardwood floor but thought nothing of it until they stopped next to him. He paused in his swinging.

"Natsu?" He cracked an eye to look at her. He choked on his saliva slightly. He never would have thought seeing her in one of his t-shirts would make his blood boil," can I sleep with you?" Both of his eyes shot open at her question. How many times had she kicked him out for sneaking into her bed? And now she was asking him if she could sleep in his? Well it wasn't a bed. How were they even going to fit in this hammock together? He breathed and nodded, stretching the sides apart to let her in. She carefully swung a leg next to his thigh and used her momentum to pull the other one up until she was straddling his hips. They both blushed at their position. She laid her body flat against his and rolled slightly to tuck herself next to him. She snuggled into him as he wrapped himself around her. Mavis this felt so good. He closed his eyes and nuzzled into his hair. They laid together silently for a while before Natsu spit out a question that had been weighing on his mind.

"How far did you and Gray go?" He hadn't meant for it to come out. He groaned as he felt Lucy stiffen,"I'm sorry Luce, I didn't mean to..," she put a finger to his lips to hush him.

"It's alright Natsu," she shut her eyes as she spoke," We went farther than we should have, if I'm being honest," she hesitated momentarily," I..um..I put his..."

"You gave him a blow job?" Lucy blushed at his vulgarness.

"Yes." She scrunched her face up at the admission.

"Oh." Was all he could muster. Just thinking of Lucy doing that to another man made his stomach churn. He felt his body tense. Why had he asked her in the first place? He knew whatever answer she gave him would just piss him off. So why? He stared at the ceiling,"Lucy," he waited for her to look up at him," I love you," she sucked in a breath. He looked away from her as a blush crept over him. He hadn't meant to tell her before he left. Happy had stopped him earlier and he had been thankful. But now, he felt like she needed to hear it. He felt her tears hit his chest and his head jerked back toward her. She was crying," Lucy? Lucy? I'm sorry I didn't mean to.." her lips cut him off and he froze momentarily before returning the kiss. It started out rather chaste but slowly grew into something more desperate. Natsu nipped at Lucy's bottom lip and she let out a soft noise. Natsu guided his tongue into her mouth and explored until he found her tongue. The kiss was sloppy until they found a rythym that worked for them. Natsu had never kissed someone before, but this was amazing. Lucy tasted so good. It was like eating fire and he couldn't get enough. She broke the kiss a sucked in a deep breath. They were both out of air.

"Tell me again," she sputtered. His mind was blank," tell me again, please Natsu," she asked him desperately.

"I love you, Lucy," tears were falling from her eyes again. All he could do was watch her with a confused expression. She giggled and began planting kisses all over him. Between kisses she talked.

"I have waited for you to tell me that since we got back from Tenrou," she planted a kiss on his chest," I just thought you didn't feel that way about me," she kissed up his neck. He was on fire, but did his best to control his hands," I thought you didn't love me back," a stray tear fell as she met his lips again," Natsu I've been in love with you for a long time," he pulled her closer and kissed her deeply. Mavis, he'd been dumb. She had loved him for that long? He seriously needed to pay attention more. The thought of him leaving crept up on his mind again but he pushed it back down. He couldn't ruin this moment. This was just something he couldn't mess up. He broke the kiss and shoved his urges down. There was no way in hell he was going to make Lucy regret telling him how she felt. He would tell her everything tomorrow.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Sorry about not updating in a while. I have a teething tot and he has been a handful lately. Anyway, hope you're enjoying the story so far!**

The next day went by rather quickly as Natsu struggled with his thoughts. Lucy stayed at his house the whole day, showing no signs of leaving. Everytime he thought he worked up the courage to tell her he was leaving he would look at her smiling face and his courage would plummet. He forced himself to act normal but knew he was coming off as awkward. Lucy kept glancing at him questioningly. Almost like she was about to ask him what was wrong, but he would always catch her shaking her head to herself. He was currently sitting at the pond near his cottage all but arguing with himself. He could almost imagine a tiny devil on one shoulder while a little angel rested on the other. He huffed out a laugh at the image. Happy pulled him from his thoughts.

"Natsu? Are you being weird cause you finally told Lucy you love her?" Natsu sighed and dropped his head between his knees. Even Happy knew he was acting weird.

"I don't know buddy. I just have some things on my mind and it's hard to talk about it with her," Happy stared out at the pond thoughtfully. They sat in silence for a few minutes until Happy jumped up. You could almost see the lightbulb on his head.

"I know Lucy is weird, but she's pretty smart. When she's having trouble with things she usually writes a letter to her mom, you could just write a letter to her!" Happy placed his hands on his hips and stood triumphantly, proud of his idea. Natsu raised his eyebrows and then furrowed them. He liked the idea but he was petrified to know how Happy knew that. He thought of asking but it was better not to have that information. The feline was sneaky and could use it as ammunition later. He stood up and ruffled the fur on the cat's head. He would write her a letter before he left in the morning.

Mira had warred with the idea of recruiting more of her guild mates but she finally decided it was necessary. If everything went South, they were going to need back up. She decided to recruit Erza and Wendy to track down Jellal and his ragtag band of on the run criminals. If anyone could get the job done it was the requip mage. She was such a force to be reckoned with. Though she always got a little awkward at the mention of the blue haired mage. Mira knew he was the object of her affections, Erza would never admit it. The conversation had been almost comical but she had agreed to the task. Mira didn't give too many details pertaining to what was going on. The less who knew, the better. She was slightly conflicted about sending the young dragon slayer with Erza but it wasn't a decision she took lightly. With everything going on with team Natsu, she felt sending her with Erza would probably be the best bet. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of someone clearing their throat. She looked up from the glass she was cleaning to find Levy sitting at the bar stool before her.

"Oh, hello Levy," Levy saw the she devil's eyes flash. That look meant she was plotting. Levy gulped. Mira pulled a folder out from underneath the bar and slid it over to Levy," These are the details of the job we discussed" Mira went back to diligently cleaning the glass.

"Wait….WHATT?!?" Levy shouted, recieving several puzzled looks from the guild members at the bar. Levy looked up from the folder to Mira giving her a pointed look. She spoke softly," Are you really putting us in charge of this?" Mira could tell she was nervous.

"It's a big job, that's why I trust you two with it," she paused, making sure Levy was paying close attention," you'll have plenty of hands to help you out. There's a list of designated jobs for certain guild members. It's good cover. Plus I know you and Gajeel will need the extra money," Levy gasped at the she-devils smirk. Somehow she knew. Levy groaned. She had so much to discuss with Gajeel.


	15. Chapter Fifteeen

Natsu couldn't sleep and was up as soon as the sun broke through the trees near his cottage. Lucy had gone home the night before so he was just going to leave the note at her apartment. He had worried about how he was going to get away from Happy without seeming too suspicious, but somehow he ended up getting lucky. The exceeds had gone to Edolas to visit the rest of the flying cats. Carla had said something or another about having a vision. The guilt was eating Natsu alive, but he swore he wouldn't say a word to anyone. He didn't want to think about how Lucy would react to the news. Besides it was only for about 3 months, right? He looked at the note in his hand and sighed. He had written at least ten different ones but in the end he just decided to keep it short and sweet. He was never really good with words but he hoped she wouldn't be too upset. With that last thought he headed to her apartment.

Luce,

I promised I wouldn't spill the beans about anything, but I'm going to be gone for a while. Only for about three months. I can't take Happy, so I was hoping he could stay with you. Please don't be mad. I love you.

-Natsu

When Lucy woke up, she half expected to find a pink haired dragon slayer in her bed. She was a little disappointed when she discovered he wasn't there. She blushed to herself. It was weird how she had gone from feeling so hopeless about her situation with Gray to feeling like her and Natsu could actually work out. If she still hadn't been so mad she might have ever felt guilty about it. But she didn't. Well maybe just a little. She couldn't help but feel like everything was right though. Sure it still hurt, but she knew that she would get over it eventually. She probably wouldn't be able to speak to Gray for a while, so she would just have to go on more jobs with Natsu. Just like old times. She smiled at the thought and remembered a job flyer she had snatched from the listing board. She jumped out of bed and rushed to her desk. There was a note laying on her desk that was clearly in Natsu's hand writing. She would recognize his chicken scratch anywhere. She picked it up and unfolded it. She read it. Once. Twice. A dozen times before she collapsed onto the floor. She thought all of her tears were gone but somehow they still flowed. She felt Virgo's magic surge and found herself cradled in to spirit woman's arms. Why? Why did he have to leave? There was so much she wanted to say to him. So much she wanted to do with him. Her mind raced. Her sobs echoed through her apartment and before she could do anything rash, the pink haired woman put her to sleep.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

All Lucy could do for the next week was stare at the note that still lay on her desk. She must have read it at least a hundred dozen times. Every now and then Virgo or Like would pop in to check on her. At the end of the week Happy showed up, back from Edolas and looking for Natsu. She couldn't stop her sob when she saw him. Happy was mortified and scrambled to try to comfort her. Through her sobs she gestured toward her desk. It took Happy a moment to understand but he finally got the idea. He looked shocked. Natsu had given no clues or anything. He honestly felt betrayed. It explained why Lucy was such a wreck. He felt tears sting his eyes as he looked back down at the letter. He remembered suggesting the idea but didn't expect this. He heard a knock at the front door and jumped slightly. Lucy got up from her bed and flew to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. The knock sounded again, this time louder.

"I know you're in there you stupid girl!" It was Lucy's landlord. Happy hurried to the door before she tried to break it down.

"Lucy is in the bath right now, I can take a message," the woman eyed him skeptically. She huffed and shoved a stack of papers in his face. He scrambled to catch them before they fell to the floor.

"She has two days to pay the balance on full or she's out!" She spewed angrily and turned to stomp down the stairs. Happy looked at the papers. It was an eviction notice. Happy shuffled through the papers as he closed the door. Apparently Lucy owed two months worth of rent, 140,000 jewel to be exact. Happy sighed. There was no way Lucy had that much jewel right now. What was she going to do? He walked back toward Lucy's room to find her back in her bed again, but this time Virgo was with her. Lucy was sleeping cradled in her arms. Happy could feel the tears welling up again. How could Natsu do this to them? Sure he felt hurt, but he couldn't imagine how Lucy was feeling. She had been through a lot recently. He looked at Virgo again.

"Does Lucy have enough money for two months rent?" Virgo tilted her head questioningly. After a moment she answered him.

"I don't believe she does," Virgo didn't understand why he was asking. He walked to the bed and handed her the papers. She sorted through them for a moment." I see," was all she said. She eyed the girl sadly. This was a lot to take in. When Lucy found out it was only going to add to her devastation," I know it would be an adjustment, but what if Lucy moved into the house you shared with Master Natsu?" Happy's eyes bulged. He paced the floor thinking about it. It could work. He didn't know how Lucy could handle it but seeing as they were limited on options it's not like she could protest. And besides it was Happy's house too. He took a deep breath.

"Alright. But I think we should move all of her stuff and let her sleep for a few days. I don't think she would agree to it all the way," Virgo nodded and layed Lucy's sleeping form onto her bed," I'll go see if I can get some help from some of the guild. Do you think Loki will help too?" Virgo bobbed her head and bowed taking her leave. Happy opened the window and headed for the guild. These next couple of months were going to be rough.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

Levy was struggling. There just never seemed to be a good time to have a serious talk with Gajeel. She had broken down and told Pantherlily her dilemma. He was baffled to say the least and was just as stuck as she was. It didn't help that Gajeel picked up on her frustration. He had been even more grouchy than normal, which made it even harder for Levy to talk to him. They kept getting into the stupidest of arguments. Whether it be over the way he chewed his food or how many books Levy bought. She was honestly sick of it. She had finally breached the subject of taking over the guild, but Gajeel was not taking it very well.

"I just don't understand why WE have to be the ones to take care of the guild.." his voice was laced with irritation.

"Mira trusts our judgement, we should feel honored. There won't be any jobs on the board without her or master anyway, and besides it's not like I can go on any jobs anyway. It's too dangerous right now," Levy said matter of factly. She turned back to her book shelf, skimming it for a certain title.

"What do you mean you can't go on any jobs? Why would it be any more dangerous than it normally is?" Levy whirled around to a scowling Gajeel. Oh shit. She really just said that.

"Um.. oh...well you see.." she looked at Pantherlily. He just shook his head. She could feel the sweat forming on her forehead,"I'm….I'M PREGNANT!!!" She balled her fists up at her sides as she screamed and closed her eyes. It was quiet for a few minutes. When she finally opened her eyes she discovered a collapsed Gajeel and two very worried exceeds. She rushed to Gajeel. She didn't know when Happy had shown up.

"Well, I see you have a lot on your plate right now, but we kind of have an emergency…" Happy was no where near his usual peppy self. Levy cradled Gajeel's head in her lap while Happy explained everything. She felt a pang of guilt at hearing how Lucy had handled Natsu's absence. She hadn't realized Gajeel had come to until she heard him speak.

"I think we should go help bunny girl...we can talk later shrimp," he sat up but didn't look at her when he talked. If she hadn't been paying close attention she wouldn't have heard him," I'm gonna be a dad…" Levy choked up. She wanted so bad to talk about everything, but she had to make sure Lucy was alright first. The poor girl had been through hell lately.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Juvia sat across from Gray silently. He was nervous to say the least. He had just laid it all out for her. Everything from his real feelings about Lucy to why he was leaving. Sure they had a few heart to hearts over the years but never anything like this. It felt like hours had passed until she decided to speak.

"Juvia doesn't really understand Gray's feelings.."he winced. He had kind of expected the response," but she would still like to go with him. Juvia is still very confused...but she still loves Gray," she huffed. He felt the tension leave his body,"Juvia has one stipulation," she finally looked up at him. His nervousness returned slightly.

"What is it?" He asked quietly.

" Gray is not allowed to use his demon slayer magic while he trains with Juvia," Gray was taken aback by the request, but before he could interject she continued," Juvia wants to observe Gray while he trains with his new magic. Juvia will take notes and do research so that Gray can understand himself better," Juvia was slightly blushing but she seemed confident in her words. Gray was shocked. He never would have thought about letting someone observe him while he used the magic his father passed to him, much less research it. He never even thought to look.

"Alright," was all he could think of to say. Juvia was always watching him but he had never thought about using that trait to his benefit. As they worked out the details of their departure he let his mind wonder what other things they could learn about each other.

For the first time since the mission was planned Mira was worried about the future of the guild. Well not so much the guild but the future of several of the guild members. Levy had finally spilled the beans about being pregnant. Team shadow gear was an absolute wreck over it. Jet and Droy were acting like complete babies over the whole situation and it irked Mira to no end. On top of them, Gajeel was being insanely over protective. Mira had never seen the man do so much for the tiny woman. If it had been Mira she would have found it suffocating, but Levy seemed to revel in it. And then there was Lucy. Mira had never seen the poor girl so distraught. She almost broke down and told her all about the mission but knew it would do nothing to bring comfort to the grieving woman. As an alternative she gave Levy a lacrima to communicate with Lisanna. She didn't want to jeopardize the mission, but she thought that if Levy could get periodic updates to share with the girl, it might bring her some comfort. The demon woman was exhausted to say the least. They had spent the last few days helping Lucy adjust to living in Natsu and Happy's house. When the girl woke up and found herself and all of her belongings in the home of the source of her heartache, she went a little crazy to say the least. At first it was just endless wailing, but then she started throwing and breaking things. It didn't matter if they were her's or Natsu's, just chucked it. By the time Mira had arrived, the place was trashed and Lucy was covered in scrapes and scratches. Mira had never seen the girl in such a state. Mira had sedated the girl immediately and put several guild members to work cleaning the place up and making it cozier. She knew the adjustment wouldn't happen overnight, but she hoped the spirit mage could pull through it and return to her normal self. She was brought back to reality when she heard someone clear their throat. She was in Master Makarov's office going over the plans to run the guild while she was away.

"So what do we tell everyone when they get suspicious about you being gone?" Gajeel had the funniest confused look on his face. Mira couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, I guess you could always tell them I eloped with dear old Lady," the iron dragon slayers brow furrowed further and Levy giggled. Mira laughed this time," I don't know how many of the guild members would buy that though. Since I'm leaving on a supposed mission you can just tell them that I got held up with that," she smiled at the pair. They had spent the entire afternoon working over the logistics of running a bar. Since no one was going to be there to manage the job board the guild had to generate money somehow. She was confident in Levy's accounting skills and left her in charge of who would work where and Gajeel was surprisingly good in the kitchen. That man was full of surprises lately. Although she knew the guild was in capable hands she couldn't help but feel nervous about being away for so long. Hopefully she'd come back and everything would be in one piece.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

Lucy sat in the small tub in the cottage. It was too quiet and when it got too quiet her head would swirl with unanswered questions and unspoken words. When things got quiet she would call one of her spirits. She often wondered lately if they found her annoying. It had been almost 3 weeks since she had woken up to find herself in the almost unrecognizable cottage that belonged to Happy and Natsu. She had reacted how everyone thought she would and ended up breaking several of her belongings in the process. Mira had shown up in the middle of her tantrum and had somehow knocked some sense into the girl. Mira didn't give her many details, but did say that Natsu was on a dangerous mission. She assumed he gave Mira a gag order, thinking she would follow him if she knew the details. After her little beating from Mira, she decided to make the best of her situation and try to fix up the cottage. It seemed like Virgo had beat her to it though. She had actually added not one, but two new rooms right off of the main room. She briefly thought about where the celestial spirit got the money for the lumber but didn't really think she wanted the answer. She pondered her finances but when she checked the job board, she was shocked to find it was empty. Even when things were slow there were at least small jobs she could take for grocery money. Now that she didn't have to pay rent she would have more spending money. She smiled at the thought as she approached the bar. She didn't see Mira anywhere, which was odd. It was even weirder to find Levy behind the bar.

"Hey Levy, what's up with the job board? I am in desperate need for some grocery money.." she slumped down into a seat at the bar.

"I was just about to come look for you! How would you feel about a waitressing job?!? The pay is good" Lucy looked at her quizzically. She had never been an actual waitress before. It couldn't be that hard right?

"Sure, but where at? There wasn't a single flyer on the job board" Levy pursed her lips at the question.

"Well, it would be here...at the guild,"

"Wait, what?" Lucy was so confused," Wouldn't I be taking Kinana's job? And what about Mira?" Lucy was beyond confused now. Levy took a breath.

"She left for a mission. So the job board is empty until she gets back. While she's gone the guild is going to run as a bar, so that we can all make some money," hoping her friend's mind wouldn't go where she thought it would, she held her breath. Lucy furrowed her eyebrows,absorbing Levy's words. Sure Mira took missions like everyone else in the guild, but the timing was suspicious. And the way Levy was acting just made it even more suspicious. She took a deep breath trying to keep herself from over reacting. But what if something bad happened on Natsu's mission? Or what if he was hurt? She shook her head. Even if Natsu had sworn all of her friends to secrecy, she trusted them enough to tell her if something was wrong.

"Alright," Levy let out her breath," I'll take the job! When do I need to be here?"

After going over the details of her wardrobe and her schedule Lucy headed back to what she called home for the time being. Lucy pulled herself out of her thoughts and back into the silence. Not wanting to delve back into her mind, she called Virgo. She hated feeling weak in her own mind but needed the emotional support right now. Hopefully she would start to feel like herself again soon.


	20. Announcement

I apologise for not being able to update right now. I and having some family issues that require all of my time. I will try my best to update and I might release some short stories here and there. Thank you!


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